


Vacation Blues

by tromana



Category: The Mentalist
Genre: Beginnings, Big Bang Challenge, Case Fic, Community: mentalist_bb, Crime Fighting, Crime Scenes, Drama, F/M, Fluff, Post Red John, Romance, Romantic Fluff, The Mentalist Big Bang 2012, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-14
Updated: 2013-03-14
Packaged: 2017-12-05 07:19:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 21,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/720340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tromana/pseuds/tromana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Lisbon is shanghaied into taking a vacation to Hawaii, Jane tags along with unclear intentions. The first thing she finds in her hotel room is... a dead body. It's only natural she and Jane get involved in the case, while the borderline between friendship and something more is inevitably crossed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Chizuruchibi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chizuruchibi/gifts).



> Written for the Mentalist Big Bang 2012 @ mentalist_bb. Set post-Red John. With thanks to miss_peg for betaing. Massive thanks to caitriona_3 and lothiriel84 for your wonderful sets of art! For Chizuruchibi, winner of Best Artist in the 2012 Paint It Red Awards.

 

Teresa Lisbon cradled her cell phone between her ear and her shoulder as she uncomfortably dragged the suitcase along behind her. She hadn’t been best pleased at the suggestion she took a vacation, especially as it had a certain Patrick Jane's grubby fingerprints all over it. A month ago, he had innocuously asked her when she had last had an actual vacation - one where she spent time relaxing, sightseeing, doing things for herself rather than spending time with her brothers or locking her front door and eating copious amounts of ice cream in front of a movie marathon. Naturally, she had told him it was none of his damn business how she spent her annual leave. However, when she received notice that she was to take a mandatory break, along with some less than subtle vouchers for hotels in Hawaii, she had known exactly who was responsible. Jane had gone straight over her head and to the brass. Somehow, he had convinced them that the rest and relaxation would do her good; that she would come back energized and enthusiastic. It would increase her productivity a thousand per cent, or something ridiculous like that.  
  
Worse, Jane had actually insisted that he check up on her. Somehow, he had made her promise that she called him when she arrived at the airport, after she landed and when she reached her designated hotel. If her recall of these events hadn’t been crystal clear, then she would have seriously considered the idea that he had hypnotized her into doing as such. Instead, she knew it was her own fault. He'd hoodwinked her by saying he would go straight to her boss again if she didn't follow the exact orders to go relax and have a good time.  
  
Silently, she cursed at herself. It wasn't that she was a workaholic; she was just very dedicated to her career. She liked to get stuff done. Lisbon had a social life; it just wasn't one she was happy to share with her coworkers. Somewhere along the line, they had crossed wires and become convinced that she was practically married to her job. And as a consequence, they believed she needed direct instructions in order to ensure that she recharged her batteries in an admittedly beautiful and secluded location.  
  
“Yes, Jane, I'm here,” she sighed down the phone. “Yes, the hotel is beautiful and I'm just reaching my room now.”  
  
“Good girl,” Jane answered back and Lisbon frowned.  
  
She swore she could hear an echo somewhere. Grumbling, she dumped her suitcase down in front of room 23 - her designated suite for the duration of her stay. Then, she returned her attention straight back to Jane.  
  
“Say that again,” she demanded.  
  
“What, you really want me to say something that patronizing to you again?” he queried, clearly amused.  
  
By the end of his statement, she had already pulled her cell phone away from her ear. However, she still caught the end of it and found herself staring at the door directly opposite her rooms. She knocked sharply on it precisely three times and waited patiently.  
  
Sure enough, Jane himself eventually answered.  
  
“Damn it, Jane!” she retorted, resisting the temptation to hit him square in the mouth. “Do you really think I cannot relax without you around?”  
  
He opened his mouth to retort and she swiftly cut him off.  
  
“No, I _know_ I cannot relax with you around,” Lisbon corrected herself with frustration.  
  
“Why not?” he asked, despite the fact he already knew the answer to that specific question.  
  
“You wreak havoc wherever you go.”  
  
She was relieved when he didn’t have the audacity to even pretend to be hurt by her statement. They both knew it was factually correct and there was more than enough evidence for her to back it up with; there was no point in arguing. However, that didn’t stop him from trying to deny it, even if he hadn’t been hurt by her observation.  
  
“That's a little bit of an exaggeration.”  
  
“I can't take you anywhere,” she said with a sigh.  
  
“Yes you can. Twice, actually.”  
  
“No-“  
  
“Once to actually go there, then a second time to apologize,” Jane interrupted with a grin.  
  
“Haha, very funny,” she replied dryly. “Besides you never apologize.”  
  
“I do!”  
  
“Fine. You never apologize and actually mean it.”  
  
“Lisbon…”  
  
“Don’t bother.”  
  
Part of her was surprisingly irritated at the fact her vacation had been hi-jacked by a certain Patrick Jane. It had been so long since she had last been away properly. Once the irritation had died away, she had even begun to look forward to a solid two weeks of rest and relaxation. The rest of her was entirely unsurprised and figured that with him around, she couldn’t run the risk of actually getting bored. Jane never seemed capable of doing something normally; he always attracted trouble. Even so, she swiftly turned on her heels, stalked back to her suitcase and picked up the keys. Despite the fact that it hadn’t bothered her as much as it probably should have done so, she knew that Jane had been out of order to behave in this way. He was encroaching on her personal time when their boundaries between professionalism and not had become blurred enough as it was. Stalking her on holiday just seemed to have an innate sense of wrongness about it, but he either didn’t care or didn’t think it mattered.  
  
She refused to believe there was any chance of it being serendipitous. This was Patrick Jane she was facing, after all.  
  
He hurried out to join her in the hallway and Lisbon scowled. She placed her belongings back down on the top of her suitcase and turned to face him. At the very least, he could have given her the chance to settle down into her hotel suite before bothering her, surely? Lisbon shook her head. Of course not. She already knew that he had little to no reserves of patience left. It had probably driven him insane waiting, alone, in his hotel room, eagerly anticipating her arrival.  
  
In his hands was a seemingly innocuous piece of paper, but Lisbon already knew that this was Jane she was dealing with. Nothing about him was harmless; not even the document in his hands. Somewhere, there was going to be a trick up his sleeve, she just knew it. The question was what?  She watched dubiously as he placed the piece of paper carefully over her suitcase and beckoned her to have a look.  
  
“Can’t this wait?” she asked, annoyed at herself for the slight whine in her tone.  
  
“But Lisbon, these excursions are meant to be fascinating and there’s only limited…“ he started.  
  
“Right now, I really don’t care.”  
  
“But…”  
  
“Jane,” Lisbon said again, her stubbornness immediately coming through. “Might I remind you that _you_ were the one intent on my having a vacation? Well, let me enjoy it my way, okay?”  
  
“Only if you get yourself out of ‘boss mode’, Teresa,” he answered back, grinning.  
  
“You’re impossible.”  
  
She was relieved that he had finally acquiesced and removed the pamphlet from her bags. Lisbon breathed a sigh of relief and picked up her keys once more. Her eyes didn’t leave Jane until he shut the door behind her. Then, she turned around and finally slotted the key into her room’s door. Slowly, she swung it open and took a step inside.  
  
It was only a matter of seconds until she saw the dead body, neatly arranged on the bed.

 


	2. Chapter 2

 

Cautiously, Lisbon took a step into the room. As she did so, she patted down her pockets, trying desperately to find her cell phone. She frowned when she couldn’t find it but briefly remembered what she had been doing beforehand. Then, she turned on her heels and faced Jane with an angry glare on her face. Sticking out her hand, she demanded that he returned it at once. After all, she had a crime to report.  
  
“I don’t have it,” he answered with mock-innocence.  
  
“And I don’t have time for this,” Lisbon answered back with a slight growl. “Come on, give it back.”  
  
When he placed the object in her hands with a sheepish expression, she rolled her eyes. It had been very unlike her to fall for such a basic Jane trick and she cursed herself for it. After all, she had known him for more than long enough to know what he was like. If she gave him an inch, he’d take a mile and that was precisely what he’d done. Then again, she had been on the back foot since her arrival at this hotel. She had never expected him to chase her out here, after all. Lisbon had no idea why he had been so intent on interrupting the vacation he insisted she had. In a way, she didn’t even want to know either. After all, there were some rather uncomfortable thoughts associated with such a thing.  
  
“Don’t touch anything!” she shot at him quickly before exiting the room.  
  
She wasn’t quick enough, however, to miss the look on his face that said it all: _‘what, do you really think I don’t know that already?’_ Despite the fact he had worked with her for an extensive period of time, she didn’t trust his uncanny ability to cause trouble. Lisbon had lost count of the number of occasions he had been in a crime scene and forgotten to use gloves when playing around with vital evidence. It seemed like however often she reminded him of important details like that, it went in one ear and straight out of the other.  
  
With swift professionalism, she passed on the important details as quickly as feasibly possible. After a promise that the local authorities would be with her as soon as possible, Lisbon thanked the woman on the other end of the phone and swiftly ended the call. Then, partially due to morbid curiosity, but mostly because she wanted to stop Jane from wreaking havoc, Lisbon re-entered her hotel room.  
  
Not that she had any intention of spending the night in there, of course. It was a crime scene and would be cordoned off as soon as possible.  
  
“This is interesting,” Jane eventually said without even bothering to look at her.  
  
“What is?”  
  
For the first time, she took a proper look at the body. It had been wrapped up in bandages, not too dissimilar to the way a mummy was wrapped up in Egyptian tombs. Blood had seeped its way through the materials, staining the otherwise pristine white appearance of both the body and bed. However, that wasn’t what had captured Jane’s attention.  
  
He was staring at four containers that had been neatly arranged on the bedside table. Lisbon had never had much of an interest in Ancient Egypt, but she was fairly certain that they were facsimiles of the burial jars which were kept with the mummy. She also didn’t need to be told that generally, that was what the organs of the deceased were stored in. That was basic history, after all.  
  
“Canopic jars. Duamutef, Hapi, Imseti and  Qebehsenuef,” Jane stated, as he pointed out each jar one by one. “A bit rough, but a good try nevertheless.”  
  
“Very clever,” Lisbon replied dryly. “Somebody obviously listened in class.”  
  
“Please, you know I didn’t go to school like you did.”  
  
Lisbon shook her head, but smiled slightly as she did so. “You don’t think…”  
  
“We’ll only find out if we have a look.”  
  
She didn’t need to say a word for him to quickly backtrack. Lisbon watched as he took three steps backwards and turned to face her once more. Only Jane would have suggested that they took a look inside some jars which were designed to contain human organs. From what she could see of the body, she wouldn’t have been surprised if the killer had actually gone through with it. After all, if they had bothered to make the jars, they might as well have carried it out with the same attention to detail.  
  
“Or not,” he continued swiftly. “After all, this isn’t our jurisdiction.”  
  
“No, it isn’t,” she agreed quickly.  
  
With a sigh, Lisbon quickly vacated the room and Jane followed her. She turned, instructed him to wait at the room while she informed the management of the latest developments. Though, in her professional opinion, it was likely that one of them was responsible for the death, they had a right to know. After all, it was their property and there were officers on their way to investigate imminently.  
  
Unsurprisingly so, the news that there had been a murder at the hotel spread like wildfire and Lisbon spent a good ten minutes attempting to keep people away from the body. Eventually, officers turned up and took over the guard duty. Lisbon meanwhile perched on the edge of her suitcase with Jane beside her. Part of her was itching to get involved and she knew Jane felt the same. This was one of those cases that piqued his interests. It seemed like it was the kind he would have found a challenge back home and thus, he’d pay particular attention to it.  
  
However, she also knew that she had to trust the men to do their job. She was well and truly off duty and therefore, the only interest she should have in the case was the simple fact that she had been the first one to realize a crime had been committed in this hotel. Beyond that, there was theoretically nothing she could do. Except for offering her services should they be required, of course. Nobody seemed interested in talking to her just yet though. Instead, they were busy trying to keep people away, searching the place inch by inch and talking to the management.  
  
It was interesting, though, seeing how cops in other states approached a crime scene. She had seen so many in her lifetime and yet, had a certain routine she liked to go about at each one. Often, one of the first things she liked to do was ensure that she had people in the vicinity of the murder, especially the one who reported it questioned as soon as possible. They usually had vital information to share, things that could easily be forgotten over the course of time.  
  
That was why she hadn’t disappeared and why she stood to shake the hand of the man who finally approached her after two hours of waiting.  
  
“Teresa Lisbon?”  
  
“Yes?” she replied, questioningly.  
  
“You were the one who discovered the body, I believe?”  
  
“I did.”  
  
“We’d like to take you back to the office for questioning.”  
  
The man placed a hand on her shoulder, one which suggested if she dared move, he’d have her in an arm lock in an instant. Lisbon didn’t even need to look at Jane to know just how ridiculously funny he was finding the situation.  
  
After all, only _she_ could go on vacation and find a dead body.  
  
Of course, as far as she was concerned, it was his fault. She wouldn’t have bothered coming to Hawaii if it wasn’t for him.


	3. Chapter 3

 

“So, Ms. Lisbon, where were you between the hours of eleven p.m. and eleven a.m. this morning?”  
  
Jane let out an indistinct noise in the corner of the interrogation room and Lisbon shot him a dirty glare before she chose to answer the ludicrous question. Of course he would find the fact that she had somehow wound up as being a person of interest in the case absolutely hilarious. It was just in his nature to act in such a way. Then again, this wasn’t exactly the restful vacation that either of them had anticipated. In fact, it was even less restful than the fact that Jane was here at all.  
  
However interesting she found the workings of other states’ police departments and especially, how they dealt with murder, this wasn’t quite what she envisaged for her vacation. She was meant to be taking a break from thinking about murder, and crime in general. And instead, she was here mentally critiquing the performance of fellow law enforcement officers. If anything, it all seemed a little unprofessional compared to what she was used to. It was like the two male cops sitting opposite her simply didn’t have a clue what they were doing. At the very least, they seemed completely unprepared for any type of interrogation or questioning.  
  
“I was at home, alone, in Sacramento,” she started and drummed her fingers against the desk. “Then, I checked into the airport for my flight at eight a.m. The flight was at nine. I got off the plane at two thirty-three p.m. PDT, which is eleven thirty-three HAST. And before you ask, there were a couple hundred witnesses who can confirm my alibi.”  
  
“And after that?” the first cop, Agent Halligan, persisted.  
  
“I got a cab, went straight to the hotel, where I met Jane and found the body. I called it in straight away, considering it’s not in my jurisdiction.”  
  
“Your jurisdiction? You’re a cop?” Agent Decosta stated, with a note of surprise in his voice.  
  
“Senior Agent for the Serious Crimes Unit with the California Bureau of Investigation,” Lisbon replied clearly and she pushed forwards her badge as proof of identification. “Patrick Jane is my consultant, who somewhat foolishly, decided it would be a good idea to chase me out here.”  
  
“Technically, I didn’t chase you as I arrived here first,” Jane replied hotly.  
  
“Whatever,” Lisbon said coolly and she turned to face the agents in front of her once again.  
  
They were inspecting her identification with considerable interest. Lisbon was used to this. Even with her gun and badge, some people still expressed surprised that a woman of her stature could ever have risen up so high in her career of choice. In some ways, she enjoyed it thoroughly. She loved taking people by surprise and surpassing their expectations. It also meant that criminals had the tendency to completely underestimate her physical prowess. However, it also grew a bit weary after a while. Sometimes, she hated having to explain herself and almost apologize for being who she was.  
  
Halligan quickly excused himself and disappeared with her badge. Jane took the opportunity to take the vacated seat and he smiled broadly. Lisbon had to wonder why they hadn’t dared to ask Jane where he had been during the time of the murder. After all, he had taken his flight approximately twenty-four hours before she had. If either of them had remotely useful information they could share with these hapless excuses for agents, it was him. And even if Jane didn’t have anything useful to share with them, Lisbon knew they could both offer their services in other ways.  
  
But then, that wouldn’t be relaxing. Instead, it would have been taking work away with her, theoretically speaking. That was something she had sworn she wouldn’t do, out of principle. Lisbon had been under direct instruction to relax and that was precisely what she was intending to do. That was as soon as she could escape this place. However, at the same time, something was nagging at the back of her mind. Who was the victim and why had they been dressed like an Egyptian mummy? Why had the body been placed in her hotel room specifically? Or was it just a coincidence that it had been there at all? Why would anyone go to such an effort in bloody murder, why not just keep it simple?  And had the organs been removed and placed in the canopic jars as Jane had suspected?  
  
“And Mr. Jane? What about you?” Decosta said, turning to face him.  
  
“Me? I was out til late last night, taking in the sights that Honolulu has to offer. I got back to the hotel at around one a.m. Had an early breakfast, and then went to the Bishop Museum. At around midday, I headed back to the hotel to meet Teresa after her flight.”  
  
“And can anyone verify that?”  
  
“Not anyone I know personally, but I’m sure if you talk to the receptionist at the hotel and museum, they would be able to confirm the facts. I also have my timed and dated ticket stub from the hotel, if you think that will help my case.”  
  
“Why do you think we’d do this anyway?” Lisbon added.  
  
“I don’t know,” Decosta answered quietly. “They say that murderers like to watch as their case unfolds, it gives them a thrill…”  
  
“And what better way to get involved than to report the murder?” Jane finished succinctly.  
  
Lisbon let out a derisive snort. It was becoming increasingly obvious that these guys hadn’t been doing this job very long and were feeling out of their depth. Halligan burst in at that moment, almost breathless, with some sheets of paper in his hands. She suspected that this was the research they should have done prior to starting the interview and soon had this hunch confirmed when Halligan apologized profusely.  
  
“What you’ve achieved in California is nothing short of phenomenal. You two, you’ve closed so many cases. Even a notorious serial killer…”  
  
The words died in the air. Red John had been sent to death row approximately one year ago and it was a subject they tried to avoid. Sooner or later, when an execution date was fixed, Lisbon knew they’d have to face those demons again, but for now, it was simply easier to ignore them. She glanced warily over at Jane who squirmed uncomfortably. Once, there had been a time when he had vowed to leave after Red John was dealt with. However, he’d stuck around and she still wasn’t entirely sure why. She never asked, figuring that she would work it out sooner or later, or he’d just tell her.  
  
“You’re free to go,” he added, more to confirm the facts to himself than anyone else. “And once again, I apologize-“  
  
“Thank you,” Lisbon answered primly.  
  
“You know where to find us if you need anything else,” Jane added, smiling once again.  
  
Once they got outside the headquarters of the Hawaii State Police Department, she rounded on Jane. The thoughts had been plaguing her ever since she realized Jane had been around when the body had been placed, in the hotel room, even if the victim hadn’t met his (or her) untimely demise there. From the brief look at the crime scene, she suspected the murder had taken place elsewhere and as far as she was concerned, Jane probably knew as well.  
  
After all, he was a chronic insomniac. He also freely admitted that he had been in the hotel, in close proximity to the crime scene, when it had happened. And he hadn’t breathed a word to the two hapless cops who had tried to insinuate that they had anything to do with it.  
  
“Right, Jane. Tell me, what do you really know about this murder?”


	4. Chapter 4

When Jane didn’t immediately answer, Lisbon let out an audible sigh and rubbed her temples. Of course, she was used to this. Jane never had the common decency to answer any of her questions, whether they were direct or indirect requests. Instead, he liked to play mind games and tricks in order to eventually reveal the answer, but not without causing a lot of stress and paperwork for her as a result. She knew it was ultimately worth it; she had watched him come from a husk of a man to being the person standing beside her now. However, Lisbon would never deny the simple fact that sometimes, she could have done without all the anger and frustration it caused for her.  
  
“I swear to God, Jane, if you don’t tell me the truth right now, then I am going to drag you back inside this building and leave _them_ to deal with you. In fact, I should probably do that anyway.”  
  
“I didn’t see anything.”  
  
“I know you; you don’t sleep.”  
  
“Much,” he corrected her immediately. “Even you have woken me up from naps before.”  
  
“So, you really did sleep through it?” she asked dubiously.  
  
“No, I was woken. But I wrote it off as some people coming in late, drunk, after a party or something.”  
  
He shrugged noncommittally and Lisbon raised a skeptical eyebrow. She had known Jane for long enough to know it was highly unusual for him to not be at least a little bit intrigued by strange noises in the middle of the night. As they started to casually walk away, she shoved her hands in her jacket pocket before she spoke.  
  
“That’s strange of you.”  
  
“I was tired,” he said defensively. “It had been a long flight and I always fly badly.”  
  
Lisbon nodded; she knew that much was true. She had spent far too many short haul flights across the state of California, with him fidgeting, moaning and generally making a nuisance of himself beside her. It made her question briefly just why he had chosen to take a vacation with her when he knew it involved a much-loathed flight. But then, deep down, she thought she probably knew the answer anyway. He enjoyed her company, and though she would never admit it to his face, the feeling was entirely mutual. Clearly, he had thought it preferable to take his vacation time at the same time as her, and in the same place too, than be stuck in the office with the rest of the team.  
  
At least it meant she wouldn’t have a chance to get bored or lonely. But then, she had a shrinking suspicion that Agents Decosta and Halligan may well offer her a quick courtesy call sooner or later. Once they realized the facts, they seemed a little in awe of them, Halligan especially. Even so, she wasn’t going to spend this vacation exclusively working a case when she should have been taking a break from thinking about murder, nor was she going to spend all of her time in Jane’s pocket. She had every intention of trying to seek out at least a little peace and quiet. Otherwise, there was the possibility that she may end up being forced to take another vacation. And considering this one hadn’t been entirely wanted in the first place, she wasn’t sure if she could warm up to the concept of another one quite so soon.  
  
“And before you ask,” Jane added hurriedly. “I’m certain that the victim wasn’t killed in your hotel room. I didn’t hear anybody screaming for their lives; otherwise I would have paid more attention.”  
  
“I’m not sure whether to be relieved or horrified,” she replied dryly.  
  
“Why?”  
  
“Dealing with murderers armed with nothing but your wits, in a strange state and half asleep? I wouldn’t even count on _your_ chances, Jane.”  
  
Jane brushed her issues aside with the wave of a hand, much to Lisbon’s irritation. Even though Red John had been arrested and convicted of his crimes, Jane had still held onto his slightly reckless streak and it worried her. Sometimes, she wondered if he simply stayed with the CBI out of force of habit rather than anything else. Clearly, he still needed something to live for, but she didn’t know exactly what would help him. All she could do was continue to offer him the (hopefully) calming presence, as she had done so for so many years. He still had so many demons to work through, but she couldn’t help him unless he talked to her. Just letting him know she was there for him was the very best she could do.  
  
Without needing to talk about it, they continued heading towards the hotel. Lisbon was glad for it; she really needed to work out where she was actually going to be staying for the night as her assigned quarters were completely out of the question. Just because the dead body had presumably been removed, it didn’t stop it from being a crime scene. And in all honesty, she was feeling a little bit drawn and tired thanks to the stresses of the day that she’d had to endure.  
  
“You brought your badge with you?” Jane said suddenly, taking her off guard. “Why?”  
  
“Why not?” she immediately countered.  
  
“I’m guessing that it’s a force of habit, and a security measure. As far as you’re concerned, it’s a part of your identity and you feel a little bit lost without it.”  
  
Lisbon shrugged her shoulders in response. She didn’t put much thought into the reason why she had brought her badge with her. He was probably right though; it was something that would have irritated her years ago, but she was so used to Jane reading into her each and every action and decision that it didn’t bother her either way now. She was used to the secondhand embarrassment it occasionally caused and the fact that she could keep little to no secrets from him. Patrick Jane and his antics were something she had had to mold herself around, as there was no chance of him switching off his abilities. Besides, it was those abilities of his which had time and time again proven to be useful. It was those skills sets that helped to close cases.  
  
They fell into a restful silence for a while. Her anger at his sudden appearance during her vacation had slowly dissipated. Now, she was almost glad to have another piece of home to hold onto, to have him by her side. Out of everyone she knew, her family included, it was him that she was closest to by a long distance. Jane knew her inside out and upside down, and she liked to think that she knew him very well also. Besides, she had a shrinking suspicion that either Agent Decosta or Agent Halligan would be calling them up soon to ask for their assistance. And if she was going to work on a case when she was meant to be having a break, then it was going to be useful having him around.  
  
Jane held the door to the hotel open for her, and she quietly thanked him for his not entirely surprising act of chivalry. Whenever he did act like this, it was always spontaneous and part of them. In truth, it was this side of him which had given her hope in his humanity. If she hadn’t seen that innate goodness in him, then she would have given up on him a long while ago. The receptionist looked up as they approached and a frown had knotted between her eyebrows.  
  
“Ms. Lisbon?”  
  
“That’s me,” she said, surprised that the woman had recognized her from the morning.  
  
“We have a problem.”


	5. Chapter 5

With an experienced hand, Lisbon dealt with the impossible receptionist with ease. It didn’t take much effort or energy for her to be polite with people who annoyed her. She’d had more than enough experience with that, thanks to three wayward brothers and a certain Patrick Jane. Of course, both Jane and the receptionist were trying her patience, but that was something she tried not to show. Besides, the situation wasn’t the poor girl’s fault and she could tell that she was out of her depth. In reality, this was something the management should have been dealing with, but they had left it to an inexperienced child who was probably in her first job.  
  
When Lisbon thanked her for her time, the girl seemed relieved that they were finally leaving her in peace. The feeling was mutual; she knew that Jane could tell she was getting annoyed and he was practically hopping from foot to foot, waiting for her to explode when it came to their current dilemma. It was only when they had reached the elevator and the doors had shut firmly behind them that she decided to speak. There was no point in trying to hide things from Jane; it would just force him to push her further, until she told him anyway.  
  
"You have got to be kidding me," Lisbon hissed under her breath.   
  
"Well they can't help if there are no other vacancies, Teresa."  
  
She quickly sent him a pointed glare, but Lisbon knew that wouldn't be enough to silence Jane. He smiled broadly in response and instead of encouraging him, she chose to stalk off in the direction of Jane’s hotel room. Already, she was feeling tired and irritable: the complete opposite of the reason she had been prescribed this vacation. How was she supposed to relax when it was practically turning into a mitigated disaster before her very eyes? When Jane quickly followed her, she wasn't surprised in the slightest. Where, precisely, else was he going to go? Just because they were in a different state, it didn't mean he was going to change his M.O.   
  
"I should see if there are any vacancies elsewhere," she eventually said when he joined her in front of his room. Lisbon didn't doubt that Jane had been using the silence against her for the past five minutes and she figured that sometimes, it was just easier to let him win. Sometimes, their silence was companionable, but this wasn't one of those occasions.  
  
"What and spend your whole vacation wasting time looking for another room? And the additional expenditure if you were able to find one?" Jane pointed out, ever the logical one. "At least they have already said they will reimburse you for the duration of your stay."  
  
"That's not the point."  
  
"I know, but is it really that difficult for you to share a room with me? You know that I don't snore."  
  
Lisbon let out a hoarse laugh in response. Part of her did believe that, yes, it really was that bad. Instead of getting two weeks of peace away from him and letting him be Cho's problem for a change, she was practically being forced to spend the time in even closer proximity than usual. And considering he practically seemed to live in her pocket when she was at home, that was quite impressive. Lisbon knew that Jane knew her inside out already, but that didn't stop her from trying to build barriers between them. It was her way of protecting herself from what she perceived as being an inevitable hurt. And then, there was the fear of the unknown and that was half the reason she continued to hold him at arm’s length. She had a shrinking suspicion that this would only serve to break them down once again. If it weren't for the presence of the dead body, Lisbon would have believed that Jane had somehow managed to orchestrate this whole debacle.  
  
But then, as he opened the door to their shared quarters, she figured that at least she wouldn't have the chance to get bored or lonely. Part of the reason she loved her job so much was because she was always being pushed to the very limits, and even more so since Jane had made his spectacular entrance into her life. Though she would never tell him that - he could be insufferable enough as it was - she had always been grateful for his presence in her life. It was just a shame that he had had to initially join her under such tragic circumstances. At least he had stayed after though; that said something about their working partnership. And possibly their personal relationship too, though she never allowed her mind to dwell on that particular issue. It was too unhealthy for her to do such a thing.  
  
This time, she took a proper look around the quarters. It looked comfortable and welcoming at a closer inspection. Everything they could possibly have needed had been supplied - including an electric kettle so that Jane could have his tea. It was practically perfect for a two week vacation for a couple, but then again, she hadn’t really expected anything less. Lisbon sat down on the cream couch, which was situated underneath the light and airy window and stared at the bed when another issue reared its ugly head.  
  
"I am not sharing a bed with you," she stated bluntly.  
  
"I wouldn't ask you to," Jane assured her.  
  
"I'll be fine on the couch."  
  
"Don't be ridiculous. We both know that I don't sleep. You take the bed."  
  
"I-" she started, but Jane swiftly cut her off, much to her irritation.  
  
"I'm not arguing about this, Teresa. You take the bed."  
  
"But it's your room. You paid good money for it," she persisted.  
  
He shrugged his shoulders, but Lisbon already knew that he was adamant about this. Sometimes, he could be as stubborn as she was and it was on those occasions when they really ended up butting heads. But in reality, Lisbon knew that this was one of those trivial things and there was no point in arguing, especially when he was going to inevitably get his own way. Slowly, he sat down beside her and rested his hand on her right thigh. She didn’t react to the touch; she neither welcomed it nor rejected it. Jane had a habit of being fairly tactile with her, even more so since Red John had been dealt with. Lisbon knew that he needed touch in order to feel connected with those he trusted. And considering she knew that he could count the number of people he truly trusted on one hand, she wasn’t going to push him away.  
  
“I got a discount. And besides, you’ll make better use of it.”  
“If you’re sure?” she said tentatively.  
  
“Of course I am,” he replied, smiling and looked her directly in the eye.  
  
“Well, thanks. I guess.”  
  
They fell into a restive silence. This time it was a lot more comfortable than any previous ones. The vacation was less than twelve hours old and Lisbon already had to adjust to so many unexpected changes to it. As far as she was concerned, it was a good job she was used to this kind of thing. In the end, the silence was punctuated by the sound of her cell phone ringing cheerily. The number was unknown, but when she heard Agent Decosta on the other end of the line, she wasn’t entirely surprised. Lisbon spoke quickly and concisely and when she turned to face Jane, he was already grinning from ear to ear.  
  
“It was Agent Decosta,” Lisbon explained before Jane had a chance to pre-empt her.  
  
“They want our help?”  
  
“They want our help,” she confirmed, echoing his exact words.


	6. Chapter 6

After getting instructions to the direction of the Honolulu Morgue, it wasn’t long until Lisbon and Jane were on the road again. Jane had already organized the use of a rental car and Lisbon was more than happy for him to take to the wheel. She trusted him enough to drive her around in his blue contraption at home, so she knew he would be safe enough here. Of course, that didn’t stop her from making several comments about the speed they were traveling at. And naturally, he didn’t pay any attention to her complaints either. It always surprised her that Jane still had a clean driving license, but then, with his silver tongue, he had the ability to talk people out of (or into) anything. That was something she knew from very personal experience.  
  
As they exited the vehicle, she stuffed her hands into her pockets as they approached the entrance to the Morgue. It wouldn’t have been her first destination in the city for a visit as a tourist, but Lisbon was honestly intrigued. Besides, she had never worked on a case from the sidelines, in the position as a consultant. She already hoped that it would give her a perspective on what Jane’s job was actually like. He’d barely said a word throughout the journey; Lisbon suspected that he’d been anticipating this call anyway. And besides, he knew that she wouldn’t be able to say no. Like him, she absolutely couldn’t resist a mystery. She wanted to know who was responsible for this murder and why. Naturally, she also desperately wanted the killer to be brought to justice. The law, though not perfect, had been something she had striven to uphold for such a long while that even outside of her jurisdiction, Lisbon couldn’t stand to see somebody go unpunished. If some people thought that meant she had lofty ideals, then so be it. She could easily live with their judgment.  
  
Agents Halligan and Decosta were waiting for them at the door. Lisbon smiled briefly to them as Halligan rushed forward and grabbed hold of her hand, shaking it enthusiastically before she even had a chance to say hello. Halligan was the younger of the two and he reminded her of a younger Van Pelt; all energy, enthusiasm and eagerness to please. Decosta –the superior of the two of them – was a little more reserved, but nevertheless, still seemed relieved that they had decided to grace them with their presence.  
  
“Thank you for coming,” Decosta said quietly as he took Jane’s hand.  
  
“I’m so glad you could make it, Agent Lisbon,” Halligan started, practically bouncing from foot to foot. “And you, Mr. Jane. We really appreciate your insight.”  
  
“Is this all of your team?” Lisbon asked, curious and Decosta shook his head.  
  
“No, Agent Lily Burton is currently manning the desks at our base. She’s more into the technical side of police work rather than  
getting her hands dirty.”  
  
“In this day and age, it’s an important job,” Jane added, keen to defend the woman he’d never met before.  
  
“I’m aware of that,” Decosta replied coolly and led them inside. “The coroner wants to update us on the case. Apparently it’s a little odd, but from what I can gather from Halligan’s overexcited babbling, _odd_ is your area of expertise.”  
  
Lisbon raised a skeptical eyebrow at Jane. Only this morning, both agents were questioning her as if she were a potential suspect in this case. Now, they were welcoming her with open arms and acting as if she were a fountain of all knowledge. Part of her wondered if Halligan had just needed that nudge and time to do a bit of a background check to remind her of their achievements, both as individuals and a partnership. The rest was a little disgusted by their blatant hypocrisy. Still, she wasn’t going to let her judgments stop her from helping the unit. There was still a job to be done, the law to be upheld and answers to be supplied to grieving friends and relatives of the deceased.  
  
“Have you had an I.D. on the victim?” Lisbon asked as they walked inside.  
  
“Yes. His name is Edward Roberts, he’s 47. Originally from Massachusetts, but moved here to go to college and never left. He’s survived by his wife and a sixteen year old daughter.”  
  
“Right. And have you got any further into the investigation?”  
  
“Not yet, ma’am,” Agent Halligan answered quickly. “But Burton is organizing interviews with the family as we speak.”  
  
“Good.”  
  
They were soon interrupted by the coroner who swiftly led them to the body. Lisbon hadn’t been quite sure what to expect; apart from a little blood staining, Edward Parker’s body had been wrapped tightly in crisp white bandages. There had been no sign of what could have been the cause of death, except for some sort of head injury. As it turned out, the pallid body had several bruises, including a large one around the neck. From a brief glance, Lisbon believed it was from a blow to the head rather than a bullet wound. The coroner soon confirmed the blow as being responsible for Parker’s death, but Lisbon could tell that Jane was already distracted.  
  
The canopic jars which had been present in the hotel room had been brought along to the coroner’s office. Jane had spent much of the coroner’s information dump scrutinizing them. He hadn’t bothered to finger them though, much to Lisbon’s relief. At least he seemed to have been behaving for now. Eventually, the coroner brought all three agents attentions over to the jars, where she proceeded to lift the lids off them one by one.  
  
“The body doesn’t look like it’s been butchered in any way,” Lisbon started cautiously when neither Halligan nor Decosta bothered to speak. “Was there anything inside them?”  
  
“Yes, offal,” the coroner confirmed with a decisive nod. “I suspect it was a cow’s liver, heart and lungs.”  
  
“They can be fairly easily bought, yes?”  
  
“Yes. They are not the most popular meats, but there is a certain interest in niche markets,” Decosta confirmed.  
  
“Clearly, they weren’t keen on attention to detail.”  
  
“Keen enough to source some organs, though.”  
  
“But they didn’t want to get their hands dirty. Or they were too lazy, or…”  
  
“Jane…” Lisbon started warningly.  
  
“What? I’m just stating the truth.”  
  
Halligan swallowed a laugh, but Lisbon just looked at Jane despairingly. At least he hadn’t mouthed off about the murderer’s apparent lack of conviction in front of the family. She sincerely doubted they would have taken that well. After all, they’d had enough drive to actually kill the man and they had attempted to dispose of the body in a relatively unique manner. The coroner quickly finished off with her findings, promised to get some information on fingerprinting from the jars back to them before Jane started looking at the body with interest.  
  
“What is it Jane?”  
  
“He was holding something, I think.”  
  
“Oh, yes,” the coroner replied, clearly surprised that he could tell despite the fact she had altered the positioning of the body significantly during her work. “These are the items that were removed from the body.”  
  
“He was holding this?” Jane said, pointing out a screwed up piece of paper.  
  
Decosta pulled on a pair of latex gloves and opened it up. A receipt stared back at them, stating that the man had brought an expensive watch of some variety. Lisbon frowned; that hadn’t been what she had been expecting and going by the expressions of the other two agents, neither had they. Still, as far as she was concerned, it was something to ask the family and his boss about. It was a lead of some sort, even if it did prove to be trivial.  
  
“Interesting,” Jane remarked and Lisbon shook her head.  
  
As far as she was concerned, all it meant was that her day had probably just gotten that little bit longer.


	7. Chapter 7

“Thank you for your time,” Agent Decosta stated warmly as they left the morgue. “And I truly apologize for ruining your vacation.”  
  
“I wouldn’t say you _ruined_ it,” Lisbon answered cagily.  
  
“No, she’s practically thrilled that you’ve given her something to do instead of getting bored.”  
  
“Would you like to interview the family with us? I’d love to see Mr. Jane in action,” Halligan added before his boss had a chance to  
object.  
  
“I’m not so sure that’s a good idea,” Lisbon started warily.  
  
“I think it’s a good idea,” Decosta replied, taking them both off guard.  
  
“We’d love to,” Jane answered quickly.  
  
“We would?” she asked, surprised.  
  
“Yes, we would.”  
  
The two Hawaiian agents thanked them once again and then politely bid them farewell. Lisbon watched as they walked off into the distance. She still wasn’t entirely sure what to make of either of them, but it didn’t matter. Since they had discovered the body in the room she had meant to be staying in at the hotel, Lisbon had felt intrinsically involved in the case. The irony of it all wasn’t lost on her; only she could go away for a break and find a dead body in her hotel room anyway. Or maybe, it was just Jane. He always seemed to attract trouble and if not, create it for himself.  
  
Eventually, they headed in the direction of their rental car in silence. Lisbon didn't much like feeling out of control when it came to the case, but she knew there was little she could do about that. Besides, she really shouldn't have been thinking about work at all. When there had been developments which they could assist with, Lisbon knew that Decosta and Halligan would call them up straight away. They seemed very keen to make amends after the initial misunderstanding, and desperate to learn from them. She still suspected that that had something to do with the fact the unit was clearly still in its infancy. Decosta definitely hadn’t been a team leader for long; she didn’t need Jane’s skills to be able to tell that. She could see it in his demeanor, but knew he would grow better with time. With very little warning, Jane suddenly clasped hold of her wrist to take a glance at her watch. Stubbornly, Lisbon ignored the way that her heart skipped at the brief touch. As far as she was concerned, those feelings were completely inappropriate.  
  
But then, Jane had found some sort of closure when it came to the death of his family. He'd told her as much a couple of months ago and for a change, she had no reason to believe he was lying to her. For a start, he had seemed more cheerful and content, and less like he was hiding his pain behind a mask. Besides, she could tell when he was telling the truth now. There was a slight note of sincerity in his voice which even he failed to conceal on occasion. And despite how broken he'd been, despite how flawed he still was, Lisbon knew that she had long since held a lingering attraction for him. He was a challenge and nothing about that would change. However much closure he found, there were always going to be chinks in the armor. Regardless of all that though, he was still a coworker - and her subordinate at that. She repeated the mantra that it was inappropriate over and over in her head, but to no avail.  
  
Since when did Jane do anything appropriate anyway? She hadn't invited him to join her on this vacation; he'd done so on a whim. What, precisely, had been his motive for doing this? Lisbon shook her head slightly as Jane let go of her wrist. She didn't doubt that she would get the answers to those questions sooner or later. That was regardless of whether or not she actually wanted said answers as well.  
  
"I thought the concept of this vacation was for me to relax and yet, you have offered our services to them?" she muttered under her breath.  
  
"Please. Like you don't want to find out who did this," Jane answered back.  
  
"That's not the point."  
  
"I'm hungry,” Jane stated, immediately changing the subject. “Bethan recommended a fantastic fish place nearby. They serve the very best lobster in Honolulu, apparently. I think we should go there."  
  
She didn't argue. It had been a long while since she had last eaten and they had spent longer than she had expected in the morgue. Only Jane pointing it out had made her realize that she was actually hungry at all. Still, Lisbon couldn't resist shooting Jane a withering glare. It was very typical of him to subvert her authority and just take control like this. However, at this moment in time they weren't boss and consultant. In truth, she had no idea what the hell they were. Any definitions and boundaries she had used to describe them in the past all seemed to filter into irrelevancy these days, anyway.  
  
"And who is Bethan, might I ask?"  
  
"The receptionist at the hotel,” Jane answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “She may be young, but she's lived here all her life and knows where the hidden gems are."  
  
"Doesn't mean she's particularly good at her job, though."  
  
"A little harsh, Teresa. It's her first job and she's been delegated tasks inappropriate for her experience. It'd be like asking Grace to lead the unit in your absence."  
  
Lisbon couldn't help but shudder at the very thought of that. Although Grace Van Pelt had developed into a very fine agent, she still wasn't anywhere near ready to have a taste of leadership just yet. Maybe one day she would be, though. In fact, she wouldn’t have been surprised if the youngest member of her team left relatively soon, to broaden her horizons and for a more challenging position. It was, after all, fairly unusual for somebody to stay in a rookie position for quite so long. But then, over the years, they had all become a surrogate family for one another, so it did make some sort of sense that she had opted to stay put too. Quickly, she conceded that Jane did have a point when it came to the receptionist girl’s experience (or lack thereof) and it wasn't long until they were well on their way to the restaurant.  
  
When they arrived, she was pleasantly surprised by the tipoff. Mercifully, it was quiet and slightly off the beaten track, so it wasn't crawling with other tourists. Within minutes of arriving, they had been seated in a nice corner table with a decent view. Gentle music played quietly in the background, loud enough to fill the silence but quiet enough not to be a disturbance to any potential conversations. Finally, it appeared that she was actually going to get the chance to slow down and relax. Or at least, relax as much as she could with a certain Patrick Jane staring intently back at her. The employees were polite and cordial; ordering drinks and taking a look at the menu allowed Lisbon to avoid talking to Jane for a while. As she had a chance to think over the situation, she was beginning to find it all the more awkward. Really, Jane appearing here unannounced had set her completely on edge. There were too many unknown variables as to why he was there and what his intentions were. And Lisbon wasn’t even sure if she wanted to know the answers anyway. It seemed a little too dangerous to think too deeply about it.  
  
"What do you think the motive for murder was?" Lisbon asked as she took a sip of her white wine, keen to avoid more difficult subjects.  
  
"You complain about consulting on a case and then insist upon talking business at the table?" Jane replied with a smirk. "You're quite the contradiction, Teresa."  
  
"Well you've known me long enough," she answered back coolly. "But fine. If you won't talk about that, why, exactly, did you come out here anyway?"


	8. Chapter 8

"I knew I'd miss you."  
  
"Oh," she said quietly.  
  
Her voice sounded a lot smaller than she had initially anticipated. In a way, she had expected him to say a little more than that, but then, this was Jane. She could never have expected him to start telling her precisely why he was here, right down to the smallest of details. Jane had never been the kind of person to share his innermost thoughts. It took a lot for him to dare to divulge important details about his past, even to her. On cases, he still concealed things from her on a regular basis and then claimed that it was for the greater good when things invariably went wrong. In reality, Lisbon knew that she should have been grateful that he had said anything at all instead of just avoiding a direct answer.  
  
"And in all honesty, given the choice between your company and the rest of the team's...." he trailed off and smiled at her.  
  
Lisbon was left momentarily stunned. She hadn't expected for a second that he would expand upon his statement, hence her initial disappointment. It took a few moments for his words to settle around her and then, she began to consider the repercussions of what he’d just admitted. Jane wasn’t one to state things directly; he always preferred to make people work it out for themselves, or invariably trap themselves because of his wordplay and actions. Tentatively, with her heart thumping a military tattoo against her rib cage, she reached over the table and allowed her fingers to brush gently against her wrist.  
  
"Thank you. I think."  
  
"So am I forgiven for gate-crashing your vacation?"  
  
"I still haven't forgiven you for tricking me into it in the first place," she answered with a smirk.  
  
"Touché," he replied with a grin.  
The rest of the meal passed by quickly and Lisbon actually began to enjoy herself. Whatever concerns she had about Jane joining her now seemed irrelevant and besides, she was determined to enjoy herself one way or another. Just because the vacation already hadn't turned out in the way she expected, it didn't mean she couldn't have fun. And if she spent the whole trip worrying about Jane and his intentions, then she wouldn't have a chance to relax as it was. For once, she decided that she would just let things happen. Somebody wise had once told her that everything happened for a reason and she should just go with the flow. It may have been a bit late, but it was about time she took that advice seriously. Besides, beyond Jane, there was nobody around to judge her if that decision went spectacularly wrong. If it did, then she would easily be able to pretend nothing had happened.  
  
As it turned out, the person who had tipped Jane off about the restaurant had been entirely correct. The food was fantastic and service impeccable. She was glad that she had put her faith in him; Lisbon would never have been able to find this restaurant had she been on her own. Jane had insisted that she spoil herself with a dessert of some variety and now, they were left sipping coffees and watching the sun set.  
  
"Have you ever been here before?" Lisbon asked, intrigued and Jane shook his head.  
  
"I always wanted to bring my wife here, but it never happened."  
  
"The fear of flying?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Yes. I kept putting it off and then..."  
  
He trailed off and shook his head. Immediately, Lisbon felt guilty for bringing up the subject matter. Despite the fact he was now more open about his family and seemed capable of thinking about them in a more positive light now, it didn't stop the feelings from being bittersweet. Although she had come to terms with what her father had become after her mom's death, there were still times she felt resentful of it, even now. And she knew, therefore, that Jane would always feel the same way. For more than a decade, he had put his life on hold in order to track down their killer; it was only natural that it was still difficult. It was a huge shift in mindset to undergo and she couldn't expect it to change overnight. Red John had only been apprehended a year ago; he was still alive and presumably well, in a prison cell. Maybe, once he had been executed, it would be easier for Jane again. However, that was still an unknown entity. She couldn’t know for certain how Jane would react until it had actually happened.  
  
When he took her hand as they left the restaurant, she didn't object for a while. Ordinarily, she would have thrown him off as she wasn't really one for being tactile. However, she didn't know anybody else here and she had genuinely appreciated just how frank he had been with her during the meal. At least, that was what she decided it meant. Besides, she had never felt as close to anyone as she did to Jane; whatever their relationship was, she knew that she couldn't live without him. Not anymore.  
  
The night passed by painfully slowly. Lisbon slept badly, constantly tossing and turning all night. It didn't help that she could practically feel Jane's eyes on her at all times. True to his word, he'd curled up on the couch with just a comforter thrown over his pajama-clad body and left her in peace. However, it wasn't enough to stop her from feeling awkward. Once again, she found herself wishing she had her privacy when she knew that was virtually impossible at this moment in time. But then, she was the kind of person who needed her personal space on occasion and right now, she was being denied it.  
  
All she could do was hope that Jane didn't intend to spend literally every waking and sleeping moment with her during these two weeks. If she could just spend a couple of hours alone, to either distract herself from thinking about him or at least, set her thoughts straight, then she knew she would be fine. And if he refused to give her that one thing, then she would have to find a way to make sure he understood the necessity for it.  
  
In the morning, they shared breakfast in the hotel's restaurant. The room overlooked the ocean and Lisbon vaguely considered the idea of heading down there later on. Jane remained as attentive to her every need as he had the evening before and that in itself had her wondering. It was very unlike him to try to impress her with good behavior and listening to her every whim. Usually, he waited until everything went wrong and then tried to make it up to her using elaborate gifts instead of apologies.  
  
When her cellphone rang off, she quickly excused herself. She wasn't surprised to hear Agent Decosta on the other end of the line. Swiftly, he informed her that he had managed to organize a meeting with the family and with some bemusement at the requested location, she confirmed her and Jane's attendance.  
  
"More tea?" Jane asked as she sat back down and Lisbon shook her head. "What did Decosta want? Has he organized the interview?"  
  
"Yes, here. In an hour," she responded with a wry grin.


	9. Chapter 9

They waited outside, sitting in silence as the summer sun beat down on them. Lisbon watched as Jane continually fidgeted, seemingly unable to get comfortable. She closed her eyes and tried to relax, but it was difficult, especially with Jane’s obvious discomfort. However, she just wanted to get this interview over and done with so she could continue with the rest of her day. It felt like they had been forced to put their day on hold, especially to help conduct this interview. Then again, that feeling wasn’t entirely dissimilar to her getting unwelcome phone calls on her days off, calling her to one crime scene or another. Eventually, Decosta and Halligan interrupted their peace and they were whisked off back inside the hotel. As far as Lisbon was concerned, they couldn’t have turned up a moment too soon.  
  
The agents led them to the manager's office, where the interview was to be conducted. Inside, the receptionist, Bethan, waited with her mother. Lisbon was marginally surprised when Halligan introduced them as the relatives of the deceased. She had seen both women hard at work over the past twenty-four hours and neither of them fit into the usual description of mourning relatives. That meant that they were either exceptionally good at putting on a brave face or they were hiding something. Instinct and experience dictated that it was more than likely to be the latter rather than the former. Lisbon relaxed immediately; if her hunch was correct then she knew Jane would work out the truth soon enough. It didn't mean she necessarily believed they were guilty - it just meant there was something they didn't want people to know about.  
  
"I'm very sorry for your loss," Decosta stated calmly once everybody had taken a seat. "This is Teresa Lisbon and Patrick Jane. They will be consulting on this case. I hope you don't mind them listening in."  
  
"We've met," Bethan replied coolly and turned to her mother. "They're the couple staying in room 24, Mom. The ones who originally booked separate rooms."  
  
"We're not together," Lisbon said hastily.  
  
"I don’t care what you do in my hotel rooms,” Susan Parker stated before glancing at Agent Halligan. "Provided it's legal, of course."  
  
"Your husband and your father just died and yet, you're still working," Jane said bluntly before anybody had a chance to stop him. "Why?"  
  
Susan Parker opened her mouth to retort angrily but quickly closed it again. Lisbon watched as the woman considered her response. It was clear that Jane's manner of delivery had angered her, but at the same time, they were her customers. She didn't want to upset either of them, especially as they had already been inconvenienced by the murder and the hotel as a consequence. Added to that, this was a murder investigation and inevitably, she probably wanted justice sought for her deceased husband. She knew that she had to cooperate in order to allow the police officers to carry out their duty.  
  
"It’s the summer season, Mr. Jane, the most important time of the year for us. I cannot afford the time off and even if I could, there’s nobody to cover me. If I could, I would, of course, but life goes on. My husband understands - understood - just how important the hotel is to my family."  
  
"And what about Bethan?" Decosta questioned.  
  
"I like the distraction. It stops me from feeling so sad and so angry about Dad. Besides, Mom's right. This is the busiest time of year and she can't afford having employees off."  
  
The arguments seemed logical, if a little clinical. Still, at least it made it a hell of lot easier to interview the pair of them. Lisbon had interviewed more than her fair share of hysterical relatives and friends in her time. It was always easier when the individuals remembered to keep a calm head when they told them everything they knew, instead of them being in receipt of misguided anger. It also made it less stressful for everyone concerned. However, just how clinical both of their responses irked her; they had just lost a member of their family and they were acting as if their elderly dog had just died.  
  
Decosta then took the opportunity take the lead the interview. Lisbon found his choice of questions intriguing; they weren't necessarily the ones she would have used but they seemed to work well enough. Again, she could tell he was fairly new to this and that he would get better in time. She didn’t say much; this was Decosta’s case, not hers. Instead, Lisbon mostly trained her attention on Jane, partially to check that he was still behaving, but mostly to see what he was reacting to. As usual, he couldn't sit still for long and had taken to wandering around the office to get a 'feel' for its inhabitant. Vaguely, she wondered if he had noticed anything of interest yet and it wasn't long until her interest was rewarded.  
  
"Where's the photo of your husband?" Jane piped up, interrupting Decosta mid-sentence.  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"There's a picture of your daughter, your dog and presumably, this is your parents," Jane said and held up the photo of a couple in their late seventies. "But what about your husband?"  
  
"Is it a legal requirement to have a picture of your spouse up at work?"  
  
"Well, no, but if you have all the others, why not the love of your life? My guess? You were thinking about leaving him."  
  
In a flash, the woman rose to her feet and slammed the palms of her hands down on her desk as she glared at Jane. A hissed 'how dare you?' followed quickly after and Lisbon apologized profusely for Jane's behavior. But then, he could never resist poking people with the proverbial stick until they reacted. And she had wanted to know what the Parker family was hiding and it looked like she had found out precisely what she wanted. In this day and age - and especially, it seemed, in cases where somebody had been murdered - marital stress was commonplace. At least it explained the mother's ambivalence, if not the daughter's.  
  
Lisbon hurried an apology and excused them both, bodily dragging Jane out of the office before he created any more trouble. Just because they were only working on a voluntary basis, it didn’t mean that he could wreak havoc for somebody else to clear up. She was about to start questioning his behavior when the office door slammed open and the two agents from the Hawaii State Police Department stormed out. Decosta turned to face Lisbon and for a second, she thought he was going to be angry with Jane behaving just as he usually would at home. Lisbon knew that other people would find Jane’s behavior shocking whereas she was entirely used to it and expected it, even. Instead, he shoved his hands in his pants pockets and regarded them both for an instant.  
  
“Well?”  
  
“Well what?” Jane enquired and smiled winningly at the agent.  
  
“Did you find anything useful from her?”  
  
“The Egyptian garb is just a ruse, an attempt to misdirect the case. If I were you, I would start looking a little deeper into Mrs. Parker’s alibi and motives.”  
  
“You do know that the Parker family is highly regarded in Honolulu?” Halligan questioned.  
  
“Being highly regarded doesn’t stop somebody from being a murderer,” Lisbon replied with a shrug and Jane nodded in agreement.  
  
“If anything, it means they believe they are more likely to get away with it.”  
  
“Interesting,” Decosta answered, but he sounded anything but interested. “I still think the protestors at the museum have more of a motive.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
“The family home has been burglarized several times in the past month. All three members of the Parker family have been attacked. All because people don’t approve of Egyptian artifacts being housed in a Hawaiian museum.”  
  
Lisbon raised a skeptical eyebrow, but Decosta didn’t seem to care. Instead, he started to head towards the elevator with Halligan hot on his heels. Briefly, he turned around to face them both one last time.  
  
“Thank you for your insight; we’ll call if we need your help again.”


	10. Chapter 10

Over the next couple of days, Lisbon fell into a comfortable routine. She spent the mornings by herself, either on the beach relaxing, seeing the sights or just finding somewhere to hide away and read her book. It almost felt like a novelty, being able to do what she wanted and when she wanted to do it. At home, she often had to sacrifice that luxury in order to do her job. It was the price of power, but she also knew that she wouldn't have it any other way. At lunchtime, she joined Jane at some quiet restaurant or café, one which nobody else ever seemed to have heard of. Then, he would take her to see something off the beaten track, the hidden gems that other tourists didn’t know about. They spent the entire time either in a companionable silence or alternatively, discussing whatever topics came to mind. It didn't really matter either way; she was just glad for his company. If he hadn't decided to join her on a whim, or alternatively, for whatever reason which had yet to become clear, she knew she would already have been fed up and lonely. As it was, she was actually enjoying herself and felt more relaxed than she had done so for years. Even the problems of sharing the room with him seemed to fade into insignificance.  
  
The only thing that was bothering her was the fact she hadn't heard from the murder investigation unit of the Hawaii State Police Department lately. When they had invited herself and Jane to assist in the interview of Edward Parker’s family, she had been more than happy to help. However, when the two men had promptly decided to ignore the advice she and Jane had given them, she had been incensed. What was the point in them consulting on the case, free of charge, no less, if they weren't going to at least take what they said into serious consideration?  
  
There was a reason why Jane believed that the museum activists had been a dead end. It seemed far too obvious. And besides, why would they have dressed the body in Egyptian garb if they were trying to hide the tracks? Decosta, however, was convinced that it had been a double bluff, a ruse to try and make them think just that. In Lisbon's professional experience, that was just over thinking the predicament. And she knew that Jane believed that first instincts were usually the ones that proved to be the most sound. The simplest answer invariably proved to be the one most likely to be correct.  
  
She was still suspicious about Parker’s wife and daughter. Both had been working every day after his death and utterly professional right down to the very core. Then there was the fact the body had been discovered in the very hotel that they ran. It hadn't been the place where Parker had been brutally murdered; as far as she knew, they still hadn't discovered the place of death. That meant that, while they knew he had died from a blow to the head, it didn't mean they had the actual murder weapon to hand. Of course, the presence of the body in the family hotel could have been meant as a serious message to the family (one which they hadn’t appeared to take particularly seriously), but it could also mean that they were involved.  
  
Lisbon turned a page on her book and glanced briefly at her watch. It was a crime thriller she had picked up at the airport, but it wasn't really all that thrilling to her. She had already long since figured out who the serial killer was; the rookie cop, who was scrabbling desperately to cover his tracks as his boss worked tirelessly was responsible. As far as she was concerned, crooked cops were such a cliché of crime literature. Most people in the business were good honest souls with genuine reasons for becoming police officers. Even so, she couldn't resist continuing to read, if only to find out how the rookie cop was caught.  
  
She was a little startled when her cell phone rang shrilly but quickly placed the book down and picked it up. Lisbon recognized the number immediately; it was that of Agent Decosta. She smirked as she answered; it was ironic that she was just thinking of him when he called. Hopefully, he had realized that he was looking up the wrong avenue and now wanted assistance when investigating the family. Or, even better, that he had just made an arrest and gotten a confession, so that she could stop thinking about the whole sorry scenario and get on with enjoying her vacation. For, as long as the case continued to linger over it like a dark shadow, she knew she was distracted from her real reason for being in Hawaii in the first place. That was to relax and rejuvenate, to take a break from thinking about the darker side of human existence. She was meant to be here to give her some time and space to actually breathe.  
  
“Agent Lisbon?” he started, sounding almost nervous and she bit on her lip to stop herself from laughing. “It’s Agent Decosta, from the Hawaii State Police Department.”  
  
“Good morning,” she replied, “how can I help you?”  
  
“We have a problem.”  
  
Her heart sank a little. Those four words were often relatively foreboding and she didn’t like the potential repercussions of what would follow. Immediately, Lisbon thought of Jane and briefly, she wondered how he was spending his morning. During the past couple of days, she had never particularly bothered to ask him. Usually, he’d tell her his plans over breakfast, but this morning he’d been deliberately evasive and she hadn’t bothered to press the issue. She was deliberately trying _not_ to care about whatever misdemeanors he could have been getting up to, as right now, she wasn’t his boss. In all honesty, she wasn’t sure she was all that bothered by the precise definition of what she was to him at this moment in time, but she definitely wasn’t the one in charge. Jane had usurped that position from the precise second he’d revealed himself from their hotel room.  
  
“Patrick Jane was found trespassing on the grounds of the Parker family home. We’ve had to arrest him.”  
  
“Oh,” she answered, her voice sounding smaller and more defeated than she originally anticipated.  
  
“They have agreed not to press charges, provided that he apologizes for this misdemeanor.”  
  
Again, her heart sank. It was easier to get blood from a stone than it was to get Patrick Jane to apologize for any form of misbehavior. That was something she knew from very personal experience. Usually, she just gave up. However, if he didn’t apologize, Lisbon had a shrinking suspicion that they would either have to find somewhere else to stay for the duration of their vacation or alternatively, book new flights home for as soon as feasibly possible. With a heavy sigh, she finished the call and promised Agent Decosta that she would pick up Jane within the hour.  
  
As she picked up the scant belongings she had brought with her to the beach, Lisbon cursed her naïveté. How could she have even thought that Jane would have been doing something else when he could have been investigating a case off the books? He needed something to stimulate him and the case was as good as anything. And she knew, deep down, that she shouldn’t have been surprised that Jane had gotten himself into trouble. After all, Jane and trouble were synonymous with one another.  
  
And like usual, she was the one to pick up the pieces after he’d made a mess. It was just typical of him.


	11. Chapter 11

"Damn it, Jane," Lisbon seethed as they walked away from the police station. "Why did you break into the Parker family home?"  
  
"I wanted to find something to prove they were involved."  
  
"You do know this isn't our case, right?" she questioned, fully aware that she was stating the obvious. "That it is none of our business whether or not they were involved?"  
  
"Come on, Teresa, you cannot say you're not even a little bit intrigued."  
  
She went to retort but quickly bit on her tongue. Jane was right; she was intrigued. And besides, Lisbon loathed the idea of a mystery going unsolved and somebody getting away with murder. Of course, Jane was exactly the same, but he had to be that little more proactive about it. He had no sense of boundaries whatsoever and Lisbon knew that she shouldn't be surprised that he had been snooping when they weren't together. In that instant, she regretted letting him out of her sight even for a second. Then she wouldn't have this problem. But then, knowing Jane, he would probably just claim that it was for the best. At least she could legitimately claim deniability. However, regardless of her knowledge or lack thereof of his misdemeanors, she still felt intrinsically responsible for him. He wouldn’t have been in Honolulu at all if it hadn’t been for her presence.  
  
Susan Parker was allegedly happy for them to continue staying at her hotel, provided that Jane apologized for his behavior. The problem was getting that apology out of him in the first place. It was clear that he had taken an immediate dislike to the whole family and therefore, he had very little respect for them. And besides, Jane found it notoriously difficult to say sorry to her, how the hell was he going to manage to say it to somebody he didn't even care for?  
  
"You're going to have to apologize to Mrs. Parker, you know," she stated lightly.  
  
"What would I want to do something like that for?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know, so we still have somewhere to actually sleep tonight?"  
  
"You have a point, but..." he said, trailing off.  
  
"But what?"  
  
"I still think she's hiding something?" he answered by way of suggestion.  
  
"And you're not? Why don't you just lie through your teeth? It's something you're already very good at, after all."  
  
"Hey!"  
Lisbon ignored the mock-hurt in his voice. She was more than used to him guilt-tripping her into apologizing, so it wasn’t going to work this time around. He was at fault, and she knew that he had already realized that. All he had to do now was act like an adult and take responsibility for his actions.  
  
"It's true, though."  
  
Jane shrugged and they fell into a restive silence. Lisbon shoved her hands in her pockets as they strolled at a comfortable pace towards the hotel. She wasn't going to allow him to distract her until she was certain that Susan Parker was fully satisfied with Jane's apology. Only then would she be content as well. Lisbon didn't much like the idea of trying to find somewhere else to stay at such short notice, or having to cut the vacation short. They were only sharing a room because Jane had insisted that he didn't want her to have to burden an extra expenditure during her vacation in the first place.  
  
"And did you?" she eventually asked when intrigue finally got the better of her.  
  
"Did I what?" he asked, but already, Lisbon suspected that he was just pretending to be dense.  
  
"Discover anything?"  
  
Jane shook his head and Lisbon's heart sank. He had gotten himself into trouble for absolutely no reason whatsoever yet again. Briefly, she considered if their intuition was all wrong. They already knew that the woman was fiercely trying to hide the fact she was having an affair - or at the very least, had been considering leaving her husband prior to his death. Maybe that was all she and her daughter were trying to hide? After all, it always looked suspicious whenever somebody couldn't really mourn the passing of somebody. And it always supplied the cops investigating the case with an ideal motive.  
  
"I tripped the alarms before I even managed to get inside," he mumbled and Lisbon couldn't help but notice the tone of resentment in his voice.  
  
"If she is responsible, Decosta will apprehend her," Lisbon answered with more confidence than she actually felt.  
  
"Really? You think that?"  
  
"It's his job to. We are meant to be here to relax, not investigate cases."  
  
“Actually, _you’re_ meant to be here to relax. I just followed you,” Jane corrected.  
  
“And I can’t relax if you keep screwing around with people like this!”  
  
“I get your point. Don’t worry, Teresa, I’ll set things straight with Mrs. Parker.”  
  
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” she muttered under a hushed breath.  
  
As soon as they arrived, Jane disappeared straight to Susan Parker’s office, leaving Lisbon feeling incredibly nervous. Half of her had wanted to accompany him, to listen to every word he said and ensure that he did actually do as he was asked. On days like this, she knew that she couldn’t trust Jane as far as she could throw him. However, he’d insisted that the woman would never believe his apology was genuine if she was listening in as well, so she had agreed to wait in their room. Her eyes were continually dragged to the clock; it seemed like time was standing still for her. Lisbon knew why; it was because she was desperately waiting for answers and her impatience was getting the better of her.  
  
In the end, she stood up and made herself a cup of tea, just to distract herself. Then, she dug out her novel, in attempt to continue reading it, but quickly found herself skipping words, sentences or even whole paragraphs in her distraction. When she glanced at the clock again, a full fifteen minutes had passed and she almost smiled. Only almost because now, she was wondering what the hell was taking him so long. How long, in all honesty, did it take to say two words? But then again, this was Jane. He could never do things the easy way. He was probably lying through his teeth and winding Susan Parker around his little finger as he did so.  
He was probably also desperately trying to sneak out information on her involvement in the case. And that was where Lisbon’s issues laid. If he said the wrong thing, or behaved in the wrong manner, then the woman would get suspicious and then would become angrier than she was in the first place. Lisbon knew that Jane could change from charming to deadly in the space of a millisecond. She’d seen it first-hand. But all she could do right now was wait, keep an eye on the time and drink her tea. Sooner or later, she would know if Jane had been true to his word.  
  
“Everything’s sorted now,” Jane said as he burst in, startling her. “Mrs. Parker was more than happy about my apology.”  
  
“Right, and what did you _really_ say to her?” Lisbon asked disbelievingly.  
  
“I convinced her that it was all a big misunderstanding. Oh, and that I wanted to return her daughter’s purse to her.”  
  
“You had Bethan’s purse?”  
  
“She left it on the front desk at the end of her shift,” Jane said with a shrug. “Her mom’s giving it back to her.”  
  
“Good.”  
  
“I think we should go to the museum where Parker worked after lunch. What do you think?”  
  
Lisbon sighed, shrugged her shoulders and agreed to Jane’s plans. It sounded like as good an idea as any. And besides, it would give them a chance to check out whether or not the lead was actually a red herring or not.


	12. Chapter 12

It had been an exceptionally long while since Lisbon had last been to a museum for purely recreational purposes. The last time she had been in one was to investigate murder, naturally, and even that had been a couple of years ago. Killers often had the hubris to cause them to display bodies in an ostentatious manner so she had never been surprised whenever a body was discovered in a somewhat unusual location. It made them feel like the cleverest person in the room, something which made taking them down feel all the sweeter. She was genuinely looking forward to immersing herself in the history of Hawaii; she knew that the museum was famed for displaying Hawaiian culture. And therein laid the crux of the matter; the protestors disapproved of Parker's attempts to bring Egyptian culture to Hawaii. As far as she was concerned, it was a ludicrous argument, but then people had been murdered for far less in the past.  
  
Of course, she was aware that Jane wanted to come to the museum for far more than just recreational purposes though. He just had to prove to Agents Decosta and Halligan that he was right, that the protestors were a dead end when it came to the case in hand. Lisbon knew that Jane simply wouldn't be satisfied until he had done just that. It would keep gnawing away at his insides until it became even more of a problem than it already was. Naturally, she didn't mind in the slightest; just so long as she saw justice served, she didn't mind how long it took or how many wrong avenues the agents investigated first. Technically it wasn't her case and therefore, it wasn't her business. Or at least, that was what she kept telling herself.  
  
The protestors stood outside, with petitions in hand and posters with various slogans. This was a peaceful matter, but then Lisbon hadn't expected museum activists to be especially rowdy either. At least they weren’t being a public nuisance and bothering other people with their protest; they were just standing up for something they truly believed in in a quiet and sensible manner. In a way, she wanted to walk right past them and get on with submersing herself in with the artifacts. However, outside with these people was where Jane's investigation rested. As interesting as the things in the museum would inevitably be, they would have to wait. She knew she would have to be patient; it wasn't as if the museum was going anywhere, anyway.  
  
"I'm gonna go sit down, you tell me when you're done," Lisbon informed Jane, much to his surprise.  
  
"You sure you don't want to get involved," he asked and he sounded almost disappointed.  
  
"I came here to take a break from interviewing persons of interest, Jane," she said and resisted the temptation to roll her eyes. "I brought my book with me; I'll be fine."  
  
He shrugged his shoulders and disappeared in with the crowd. With practiced ease, Lisbon kept half an eye on Jane and the rest on her book, not too dissimilar to a mother watching a child at the park. She smirked to herself; sometimes, she really did think Jane was like an overgrown child. But it was just him; she had grown more than used to it over the years. Lisbon knew that if she didn’t keep at least half an eye on Jane, then his propensity to cause mayhem would inevitable strike and then, chaos would ensue.  
  
Eventually, she was disturbed, not by Jane but by Agent Halligan and a woman who was presumably the rookie, Agent Burton. Lisbon nodded in response when Halligan introduced her as such and tightly shook her hand. They both settled down on the bench beside her, neither one of them bothering to make it clear why they were here. She suspected that it was probably something to do with the case; after all, that was half the reason she and Jane were here. But then, why were they sitting with her, instead of talking to the activists? It wasn’t as if she had much information on why the murder was committed; she didn’t even know the victim prior to his death. She only had the misfortune of finding the dead body in her hotel room, and thus, became inexplicably involved because of that.  
  
"How may I help you?" she eventually asked when neither agent dared to speak to her.  
  
"Where is Mr. Jane?" Halligan asked.  
  
Lisbon felt a little disappointed by the man's response; she was more than competent as an agent and had only grown more intuitive as she had spent more time in Jane's company. She didn't let the insult show and instead, nodded in the direction of the protestors, who Jane seemed to be amusing with some sort of card trick. Unlike the protestors - and the two agents who had joined her - she knew that Jane was probably just using the trick to distract the individuals while he got a read of them. That was usually the case, after all.  
  
"The case has come to a dead end," Halligan informed her eventually and Lisbon nodded. She had almost expected those words to come next. "We don't know where to turn next."  
  
"Have you investigated the family itself yet?" Lisbon asked; surprised at just how naïve this team continued to appear.  
  
This was the same advice they had given them on the very first day of the case and yet, Halligan shook his head. Burton remained mute and took a note of Lisbon's advice, much to her relief. She could scarcely believe they hadn't actually investigated the Parker family and had instead, wasted their time with the protestors. The vast majority of murders were carried out by people familiar to the victim, not strangers. It made logical sense to start with those who shared home with the deceased. Lisbon had always believed that was common sense among murder investigators, but then, if this team was as new as she suspected it to be, then clearly they hadn’t developed those skills yet.  
  
“How long have you been working together, Agent Halligan?” she asked quietly, more out of interest than anything.  
  
“A month,” Halligan answered quickly. “Burton joined us just last week.”  
  
“And how many murder investigations have you actually carried out?” she persisted.  
  
“This is only our second. The first resulted in the death of perpetrator.”  
  
“Investigate the family,” she reiterated as Jane approached. “That’s where we’d always start in a case.”  
  
As soon as he joined them, Jane confirmed what she had just said, and it was only then that the two agents seemed willing to take on the advice they had just imparted. Quickly, he also informed them that he had come to the same conclusion as before: that the protestors were all innocent. None of them had a real motive for murder, and the ones who were more likely to take things too far all had cast-iron alibis. Lisbon watched as they disappeared into the distance and Jane took the space that had previously been occupied by Agent Halligan.   
  
“I wonder why they’re so reluctant to investigate the family,” Lisbon said lightly.  
  
“Hm. I don’t think it’s entirely down to the status of the Parkers in the area,” Jane answered.  
  
“Oh?”  
  
“Halligan, especially, seems fond of Susan Parker.”  
  
“You think they might be involved? He’s a little _young_ for her,” Lisbon asked.  
  
“I don’t know, maybe? But I think we ought to go inside now so that we have time to actually get around the whole museum.”  
  
Lisbon nodded and stood. She didn’t resist when Jane went to link his arm with hers and lead her towards the entrance. If anything, she quite liked the gesture. What did amuse her was the fact that Jane had struck up a little mystery and yet, he was willing to place it to one side for now, simply to spend time enjoying her company. She knew that she would take this sweet Jane over the one that caused mayhem any day of the week. And besides, the case wasn’t their business. They had set the agents on the right direction; the rest was up to them now.


	13. Chapter 13

They sat together in a companionable silence as they watched the sun set. Lisbon yawned expansively and almost immediately after she felt the gentle touch of Jane's fingers graze against her shoulder blades. She turned to smile briefly at him, something which he reciprocated straight away. It had been a long day, and in truth, Lisbon still wasn't sleeping all that well. Every night, she could feel Jane watching her and she was finding it more disconcerting than she had ever imagined.  She wasn't meant to feel this way around him; she was used to him and his idiosyncrasies. Even so, that wasn't enough to stop her irrational thoughts from creeping in.  
  
"You're tired," Jane stated quietly. "You should probably go to sleep."  
  
Lisbon couldn't argue with him on that front. "Yeah, maybe."  
  
"No 'maybe' about it," Jane countered almost immediately. "I'm gonna stay down here for a bit. I'll be quiet when I come up."  
  
"Sure you will."  
  
"When have I lied or misled you or...."  
  
"On this vacation alone?" she interrupted with a smirk. "Not telling me you were going to attempt to break into the Parker family home, getting us involved in this case in the first place, turning up here unannounced without any warning oh and how about not even telling me precisely why you're here at all?"  
  
Jane didn't respond, almost as if he were considering her arguments and figuring out how to counter them. Lisbon tilted her head quizzically as she waited for his answer, but part of her didn't expect one at all. In the end, he started to grin and she couldn't help but do the same. His smile had always been infectious, especially when it was a genuine one. He could always light up the room with his beatific grin.  
  
"You paint me in a very vicious light, Teresa."  
  
"Only stating the truth," she said lightly.  
  
"I think you might have been speaking in hyperbole."  
  
"I may have exaggerated a little for effect," she answered back.  
  
In truth, the only one of Jane's misdemeanors that had really irritated her since arriving in Honolulu was the fact he had broken into the Parker family home. And naturally, that was because it was illegal. In reality, Jane had gotten off incredibly lightly as all he'd had to do to set things straight was apologize to Susan Parker. It was hardly surprising that Jane had been able to see straight through her arguments and to the truth. That, after all, was what he did best. She couldn’t expect anything less of him.  
  
"Anyway," Jane eventually started as he stood up. "You are meant to be going to bed."  
  
"And what are you doing now?" she immediately countered.  
  
He let out a small chuckle and Lisbon frowned. As far as she was concerned, it was a perfectly viable question. She had every right to know what he was up to considering his track record. And besides, even though she was continually reminding herself that she wasn't his boss out here, she still felt responsible for him and his actions. As far as Lisbon was concerned, whatever he did reflected on her one way or another. Naturally, she still had her own personal pride and reputation to uphold, regardless of what her status was in comparison to Jane’s.  
  
"Nothing wrong," he answered back quickly but it did nothing to quell her fears. "Good grief woman, don't you ever get tired of being so suspicious all the while?"  
  
"Not especially. And not when it comes to you," she answered but he quickly sent her a look of distaste. "Okay, okay. I'm going. Just behave, Jane."  
  
"Don't I always?"  
  
"I'm not even going to honor that with a response," she muttered under her breath.  
  
Soon enough, she was in bed, just as she promised. However, from the moment that she slipped between the sheets, her traitorous body had other ideas. She could feel herself beginning to wake up again and she knew it was going to be another long night. After one hour of tossing and turning, she heard Jane creep in as quietly as possible. At least he had tried to keep his promise, she surmised. In silence, she watched as he positioned himself awkwardly on the couch and once more, she began to feel a little guilty. Jane had paid good money for the bed she was currently occupying. Just because the hotel had decided to reimburse her after finding a body in her original room, it didn't mean they had afforded the same luxury to him. Carefully, she sat back up and tossed her hair back over her shoulders and down her back. Lisbon knew Jane was watching her and she didn't care. It was almost the point, after all.  
  
"You're not asleep.”  
  
"Neither are you," she answered with a shrug.  
  
"Am I disturbing you?" Jane asked quietly.  
  
"By trying and failing to sleep on the couch?” she enquired, almost amused by his statement. “No."  
  
“Liar,” he stated.  
  
She couldn’t disagree; she was feeling some level of discomfort from knowing he was watching her each and every move. But then, what had she expected? Lisbon knew that Jane was still a chronic insomniac and she suspected he always would be. What else was he going to do in the dead of the night, when she was asleep? He had enough courtesy to know he had to keep quiet, and that meant most things he could occupy his mind with were out of the question. And besides, they had been tiptoeing around one another for years. When she was asleep, she was at her most exposed, Lisbon knew that. Of course somebody like Jane was going to find her at her most fascinating in such a state. It was simply human nature.  
  
Eventually, she scooted over to the right side of the bed, and patted the space beside her encouragingly. In the half-light, Lisbon could see Jane shooting her a quizzical look. She resisted the temptation to smirk; for somebody so intelligent, Jane could be incredibly dense on occasion. As far as she was concerned, she was making her intentions clear. It was pointless for him to carry on struggling to sleep on the couch when there was plenty of space in the bed. On the first night, she may have made a fuss about not sharing the bed, but now, the guilt was beginning to set in because she’d tossed him out of it. And besides, the argument seemed almost irrelevant now that she thought about it. They were both adults, they both knew how to be sensible. There was nothing wrong with them sharing a bed.  
  
“Are you going to lie there all night or actually join me?” she said, almost snapping at him.  
  
“Teresa-“  
  
“And don’t you dare-“ she started, but Jane interrupted her.  
  
“What? I thought you’d never ask. If you wanted me to share your bed all this time, then all you had to do was say so.”  
  
“Jane!”  
  
“I’m sorry,” he muttered and glanced away. “Are you sure?”  
  
“I wouldn’t suggest it if I wasn’t. Just… keep your hands to yourself, okay?”  
  
“Anything you say.”  
  
As she settled back down, her lips curled into a smile. She stoically ensured she faced the wall away from him; she didn’t want to catch his eye just yet. The sound of his breathing and the fact she knew he was so close by soon lulled her into a sleep. Even so, before she drifted off, Lisbon couldn’t help but wonder if this was something that was too risky for them to do. But then, they weren’t doing anything, just trying to get some rest. Weren’t they?


	14. Chapter 14

In the early hours of the morning, Lisbon awoke to find herself in the cast iron grip of Jane. Despite the strict instructions she had given him, somehow, he had gravitated towards her. She didn't believe for a second that it was intentional; instead, she figured that it had happened when they were both sleeping. After all, he was still dozing and seemed entirely none the wiser about their current predicament. The warmth of his bare arms against her abdomen felt both reassuring and disconcerting. There was something about the closer proximity than usual which changed everything, even if Jane was still fast asleep. For a minute, she laid still, trying to figure out what she was thinking herself, before she decided that she had to move. Then, somewhat awkwardly, Lisbon extracted herself from his clutches and headed straight towards the shower.  
  
Under the warm spray, she found herself analyzing what had happened since she had arrived in Hawaii. Finding the dead body had complicated matters; it had also provided them both with a merciful distraction from whatever was currently simmering between them. But then, there were Jane's actions and attitudes since they had arrived, something which was becoming more and more prominent as each day passed. Even she would have been foolish to deny that he had not only been on his best behavior for the most part, but had also been inexplicably sweeter than usual. And that was what she found most disconcerting.  
  
Once, several years ago now, he'd said he would never be so sophomoric as to seduce her over a meal. He'd also once said that if he ever _was_ going to seduce her, she wouldn't know what had happened until it was over. But then, Jane was a changed man. He was nothing like the shell of a person who had shambled into her life looking like a homeless man in dire need of a shower all those years ago. Naturally, she could only consider that to be a good thing. The Patrick Jane of old was living an unsustainable lifestyle; one which would inevitably land up in death. He had been driven by the unhealthy desire for revenge and unable to move on from the death of his family. Lisbon didn't doubt that he would never entirely get over the guilt he felt for the death of his family; no man ever could. However, that didn't mean he couldn't compartmentalize it, accept what had happened and move on and be happy.  
  
Automatically, Lisbon found herself wondering if his gatecrashing of her vacation was his way of trying to persuade her he was ready to do just that. He’d already explicitly stated that he had chosen to come in order to spend time, alone, with her over the rest of the team. Then, she wondered if he was merely waiting for her to make the first move, especially as they weren't shackled by the restraints of the job while out here. But then, if things changed and if either one of them did make a move, what would happen when they were back in Sacramento? The same rules and guidelines would still apply and there would also be the inevitable awkwardness with the rest of the team.  
  
And then, what if she was entirely wrong? What if he had truly only came out here and endured a dreaded five hour flight purely to indulge in her company as a close friend? There had been times when she had thought maybe he had seen her as something more than a friend; once, he had even told her he loved her, something which they both seemed to pretend had never happened. But then, there were times when they had barely spoken, been so furious with one another that there was the distinct possibility of their friendship having been irreconcilably destroyed. Their relationship had always been complex and even more so since the apprehension of Red John. It was little wonder that Lisbon found herself second guessing his every move and questioning his every motive.  
  
When she got out of the shower, Lisbon found she had a headache developing, most likely from the fact she was stressing herself out thinking about the 'what ifs' and the 'maybes'. She sighed heavily as she toweled herself dry; really, she knew there was only one thing she could do and that was let everything take its own course. If it was going to happen, it inevitably would. And if it wasn't, then at least she could still be grateful to have him in her life at all. That was far better than the alternative.  
  
Once changed, feeling rested and refreshed in spite of the headache, she left the bathroom and saw Jane sitting up on the bed. He smiled warmly at her and she perched on the end of it. She still felt a little awkward and she could tell Jane did too. Still, Lisbon knew that they were going to have to work around this. After all, they had endured much worse than a little minor embarrassment in the past. In comparison, this should be a breeze.  
  
"Morning, sleepyhead," she remarked lightly. "You okay?"  
  
"I'm fine," Jane answered. "Thank you."  
  
She furrowed her brows. Once more, she wasn't entirely sure what he was thanking her for. Perhaps, it was one of those ‘general’ phrases, where she could pick and choose what to apply it to. Still, it warmed her spirits considerably. Like apologies, thanks from Patrick Jane were hard to come across. It wasn’t particularly in his nature to show gratitude, not because he felt entitled, but because it showed signs of weakness and a need for the other person in question.  
  
"You slept well."  
  
"Yeah,” he replied and a smile flashed across his face briefly. “I must have needed it."  
  
"Breakfast?" Lisbon asked.  
  
"Let me get changed first."  
  
Like usual, Lisbon was intending to spend the morning on her own. She was vaguely considering making use of the hotel's swimming pool facilities; she still hadn't had the opportunity to take a quick dip in it. But at the same time, she knew that she couldn't leave Jane until she was entirely sure that everything was okay between them. As he changed in the bathroom, she made a mental note to try and rectify things as they ate. It would provide them with an ideal opportunity to actually speak things through, or so she figured.  
  
Breakfast was eaten in the dining room, like usual. It took a little while for them to start talking, but once it did, the conversation flowed as naturally as usual. Quietly, so that the other patrons were unable to hear, Jane discussed his latest developments in the Parker case with her. Last night, when she had been trying to sleep, he had been trying to discover who Susan Parker's mystery lover was. Ever since the first interview with her, he had known she was having an affair. Only now did he have solid evidence which he was intending to hand over to Agent Decosta as soon as possible.  
  
"No," Lisbon muttered when Jane told her the identity. "I don't believe you."  
  
"But it explains why they won't investigate the family despite that being common sense, doesn't it?" Jane replied and even Lisbon couldn't deny the logic in that. "Mrs. Parker took on a toy boy lover in Agent Halligan and all the while, he's been subverting the investigation."  
  
"But the question is, is he responsible or is he covering up for his lover?" Lisbon asked.


	15. Chapter 15

When she asked Jane if he wanted her to accompany him to his appointment with Agent Decosta, he politely declined. On one hand, Lisbon was relieved. She had been enjoying her mornings alone, especially as it gave her the much-needed time and space alone, and didn't really relish the idea of a change in routine. Equally, though, she knew Jane's revelations about Agent Halligan would set the proverbial cat among the pigeons within the Hawaii State Police Department. Part of her still wanted to be there so that she could apply the appropriate damage limitation where necessary; that was one of the most important parts of her job when she was back home. However, despite appearing as such on some occasions, Lisbon knew that Jane wasn't actually an idiot. He did have enough common sense to approach this subject carefully.  
  
So, she didn't argue with his decision in the end. Her plans to visit the swimming pool might as well go ahead, she decided. After sharing one last cup of tea with Jane, Lisbon bid him farewell and watched him walk out of the hotel and towards the police station. Only then did she wander up to their room to collect the items she would need for her visit to the pool. Once she got down to the poolside, she immediately decided that she had made the right decision. The pool was mercifully quiet, with only three other patrons having chosen to visit at this specific time. She had hoped that would be the case; the hotel hadn't been marketed towards families and besides, she was also aware that some sort of conference was going on during their stay. She wondered if Jane had sat in on any of the speeches and maybe if he had caused a nuisance of himself in them. But then, she would have heard about that and besides, he had grown increasingly distracted by the Parker case.  
  
Automatically, she fell into the routine of doing lazy lengths. It was too hot for her to try and over exert herself, but the pool was cool enough for her to actually want to do some proper swimming. Nobody disturbed her and she reveled at the chance to do something she had genuinely enjoyed as a child. Despite not knowing whether she was coming or going when it came to Jane and the problems with the case, she had started to really enjoy herself. Lisbon had had the chance to do things she hadn't done for a long while, and spend time doing things for herself. It had been such a long while since she had had some 'me' time; all of her recent vacations had either been too short to be truly beneficial, ended early because of some kind of work drama or used up by her brothers.  
  
When she grew tired of swimming, she wrapped herself in her beach towel, found some shade and curled up with her book. She was getting towards the supposedly exciting climax, but the drama had been over exaggerated to the stage where the book was no longer realistic. But then, considering how soon she had solved the case herself, she had expected it to turn out like that. All that was left now was for the mastermind criminal to be arrested and the dashing cop to predictably admit his feelings for his stunning receptionist who had always admired him. Lisbon smirked as she continued reading; if only the author knew that reality was far stranger than fiction.  
  
Her peace was soon disturbed by the shrill ring of her cell phone. With a sigh, Lisbon placed down her book and picked it up. When she saw that Agent Decosta was the caller, she got a severe case of déjà vu, but answered nevertheless. She had a distinct feeling that Jane's revelations hadn't gone down well at the office and they wanted her to persuade him to apologize to the lot of them for the offence he had caused. But then, Jane had actually seen Halligan and Mrs. Parker indulging in their illicit affair and even if he hadn't, she knew he could read it in their actions and body language anyway. If he was, indeed, correct then why should he apologize for handing them their most important lead to this case on a silver platter? And if there was one thing that Lisbon loathed in the profession, it was crooked cops. They were the type which gave the rest of them a bad name.  
  
"How may I help you, Agent Decosta?" she enquired politely.  
  
"I think your man is right about Halligan," he stated somewhat abruptly, much to Lisbon's surprise. "He hasn't turned up to work this morning."  
  
"Oh."  
  
The abrupt announcement had taken her entirely off-guard. She had expected Decosta to skirt around the subject initially, much like he had done so on every other occasion they had spoken. However, from his tone alone, Lisbon could tell that the man was in a hurry. Carefully, she sat up, realizing that this was probably going to be a very important conversation, especially when it came to the Parker case. Whatever the man said next, she suspected would spell out something very important about the developments in it.  
  
“He’s been spotted going to the Parker family home, presumably to talk to the family about this. Burton and Mr. Jane are on their way there now.”  
  
She bit on her tongue to prevent herself from saying how unwise it was to send somebody like Jane into the fire. “And you want me there too?”  
  
“If possible?” he asked quietly.  
  
“You do know I don’t have my service weapon, nor would I be legally allowed to use it even if I did? I have no authority whatsoever here.”  
  
“You think the situation might turn sour?”  
  
“From personal experience? Yes.”  
  
Despite her reservations, she eventually agreed to meet Decosta at the Parker family residence, in the hope of being a ‘calming influence’ on both the family and Jane. With a sigh, she quickly packed her belongings away, showered, and changed. Then, using the rental car, she drove the short distance to the home. Considering the abrupt change of plans, Lisbon wasn’t particularly irritated. Instead, she was pleasantly surprised that the case had finally started to develop in the right directions. It was a shame that it was looking increasingly likely that Agent Halligan was involved, if not responsible, but regardless of his status as an officer of the law, if he had committed a crime, then he had to do the time.  
  
Agent Decosta was waiting for her at the gates to the house. Swiftly, Lisbon closed the distance between them. As he shook her hand, she made not of the thin trail of smoke reaching into the sky from the back yard. She frowned; was that burning of evidence, or was there a different reason behind the bonfire, one which was entirely more innocent?  In silence, she hoped that it was the latter. After all, a lack of evidence, even with a confession, could make it a lot harder to get a case through the courts.  
Just as they were about to make their way inside the gates, they heard three shots being fired. Instinctively, Lisbon started running towards them.  
  
She knew Jane was inside. All she could think was: what if he’s been hurt? Or worse?


	16. Chapter 16

By the time she and Agent Decosta reached the back yard, Agent Burton had already relinquished Halligan of his weapon and had him in handcuffs. The bonfire burned brightly beyond them and Jane was nowhere to be scene. Again, Lisbon began to panic, but didn’t show it. Instead, she glanced behind her, at the house where the back door was propped open. Without wasting a moment on anybody else, she bolted towards the house, indoors and upstairs.  
  
When she reached the landing, she halted. Already, she could hear the soothing tones of Patrick Jane’s voice filtering through the closed door of the master bedroom. It did little to calm down her erratic heartbeat though; she still didn’t know if the other occupant was actually armed or not. But then, she knew for certain that she wasn’t. If she moved forwards and interrupted them, then she had no way of defending herself or Jane if the other person _was_ armed. Slowly, she crept forwards, trying to remain as quiet as possible. When a floorboard creaked, she froze, but nothing happened. Eventually, she was in earshot and could hear exactly what was going on.  
  
“You don’t want to do this,” Jane spoke clearly and cautiously. “Just put the gun down, and we can speak properly.”  
  
“But you don’t _understand_ ,” Susan Parker replied; her tone was almost a plaintive wail.  
  
Lisbon wasn’t surprised that Susan Parker was the other inhabitant of the room. Immediately, she wondered if she or Agent Halligan had been the one responsible for the death of Robert Parker. However, her heart sank at the confirmation that the woman was, indeed, armed. Jane was playing a dangerous game; he was trapped in a room with somebody who sounded like they were losing their sense of sanity. It often happened near the climax of the case, when the killer realized they hadn’t been _clever_ enough to get away with it. Immediately, she longed for her Glock 9mm and her badge too. Lisbon hated feeling completely and utterly powerless, especially in a scenario such as this one.  
  
The gentle touch on her left shoulder by Agent Decosta made her, once again, jump. She turned around to glare at him, and he placed a cautionary finger on his lips, encouraging her to remain silent. Of course, Lisbon didn’t need such an instruction and besides, she was too busy trying to figure out if Jane had managed to talk Susan Parker into handing her weapon over. When Decosta made a move to interrupt them too soon, she actively blocked the door, and shot him a dirty look. She wasn’t about to let an inexperienced cop risk Jane’s life. After all, she already knew that their first case as a unit had ended in disaster. As for the second? Well, it was already clear that one of the agents was a person of interest. That meant that Lisbon felt like she couldn’t trust Decosta to make the right decision.  
  
“He was stifling me. I wasted my best years on him. And for what? So that he could get himself up to his eyeballs in debt and risk losing _my_ hotel?” Susan shouted.  
  
She couldn’t quite catch what Jane said in response, but Lisbon found herself holding her breath.  
  
“I didn’t mean to kill him.”  
  
“Nobody does, Susan,” Jane replied, but even Lisbon knew that was a crass generalization. “But think of your daughter. Do you really want her to be an orphan? At sixteen? Think about how painful it will be for Bethan to lose both her parents over a tragedy like this.”  
  
Naturally, that was something Lisbon could sympathize with entirely and she stoically shook her head as the bad memories resurfaced. She couldn’t blame Jane for going straight for the jugular; what parent liked the idea of their children growing up without them around? And he didn’t know she was listening in; he didn’t even know she was there at all. Still, it took her a couple of seconds to compose herself and in that time, Susan Parker and Jane exchanged a few more quiet words.  
  
“That’s right, Susan,” Jane eventually said soothingly. “You don’t need the gun. Nobody else needs to die.”  
  
“Thank God,” Decosta whispered down her ear.  
  
She stood aside for him at that, and allowed him to go in and make the arrest. Susan Parker had confessed to murder and there had been three witnesses. All that was left to do was work out where Halligan fitted into the mess, and Lisbon suspected that that would all come out in questioning. Soon enough, the agent pushed the handcuffed woman out of the bedroom and downstairs, but Jane didn’t emerge.  
  
Tentatively, Lisbon tapped on the bedroom door lightly before she made her entrance. Jane smiled slightly when he saw her and immediately, she closed the distance between them. Even now, despite the fact that the drama was finally over, her heart continued to beat erratically in her chest. Swiftly, she closed the distance between them and for a second, she didn’t know what she wanted to do. Part of her wanted to slap him for causing her this much distress on her vacation. Lisbon knew just how dangerous it had been for him to be shut in a room with somebody holding a gun. He had been incredibly lucky to get out of there unscathed, even with his impressive gifts.  
  
“You arrogant, egotistical, reckless jackass,” she seethed at him.  
  
Then, she grabbed his jacket by the lapels – even in the blazing Hawaiian heat, he still wore his three piece suit – and pressed her lips against his. It took him half a second to react, but soon enough, his tongue darted out and tantalizingly wetted her lips. His hand started to run up and down her spine and Lisbon found herself smiling into the embrace. She continued to hold onto his jacket for dear life, almost like she was afraid that he was going to disappear on her if she dared to let him go. However, she had to in the end and it was at that moment that she looked away; she was almost embarrassed by the display of emotions she had just shown.  
But, damn it, she had nearly lost him, again. That fear had tipped her over the edge and adrenalin had taken over her body. She had needed that release and in truth, the standoff between Jane and Susan Parker had made her realize just how important Jane was to her. Deep down, she had always known it, but the situation they had found themselves in made it all the more apparent. And, when she considered the way he had reacted to the kiss, it seemed like she wasn’t the only one. It was just typical of them that they required some kind of life-or-death scenario to be the trigger for something more.  
  
“Don’t you _ever_ do that to me again,” she stated firmly.  
  
“What?” Jane asked and she could already tell he was going to say something ever so slightly sarcastic. “Risk life and limb to solve a case? Or this?”  
  
This time, he was the one to close the gap between them and kiss her. Naturally, Lisbon was more than happy to oblige. Again, Jane managed to inject a surprising amount of passion, and when they parted once more, Lisbon was a little breathless.  
  
“You can do the latter all you like,” she answered with a smirk. “But please, leave the life-or-death things to me from now on, okay?”  
  
“I can’t make you any promises, Teresa,” he answered her.  
  
She placed a finger across his lips in order to silence him. “Let’s just save that for later, shall we?”  
  
He nodded and held out a hand, which she took obligingly. Lisbon wasn’t sure what was going to happen next, but all she could do was hope that this was the right decision.


	17. Epilogue

Inevitably, Decosta kept them both informed when he was questioning Halligan. Eventually, a decent picture of what had happened during the murder of Robert Parker emerged. One final argument between him and his wife had escalated and eventually, she had struck him around the head with a rolling pin, which had been discovered in the trashcan at the Parker residence. Tearfully, Susan Parker had called up her toy boy lover, Agent Halligan, and between them, they hatched up the plan to cover up the crime. It had been Halligan’s idea to dump the body in a hotel room; he had also been the one to come up with the concept of attempting to frame the museum protestors.  
Unfortunately, neither of them had the foresight to check who was due to stay in the room next. Neither of them had been prepared to deal with somebody quite like Patrick Jane. For a while, Halligan had been capable about covering up his tracks, but only when Jane and Lisbon had insisted that they investigated the family deeper did he panic. Then, the truth had unraveled and it had resulted in both their arrests.  
  
Naturally, Agents Decosta and Burton had been very grateful for their assistance, even though they were disappointed that one of their number had attempted to pervert the course of justice. Lisbon genuinely hoped that now, they would find a more suitable replacement and then, hopefully, the unit would go from strength to strength. She understood just how difficult it was when a unit was in its infancy, but she had the faith that they could be a fine law enforcement team one day. Now that the rotten member had been flushed out and, they could start afresh and go onto bigger and better things.  
For a while, Jane and Lisbon skirted around the issue of what they had become. Eventually, Lisbon grew sick of not knowing where she stood and it was then that she confronted him. The conversation had started cautiously; neither wanted to offend the other party. However, it soon became clear that they both knew what they really wanted. Neither one of them was under any illusions that it was going to be easy, but they were both willing to work at it. As she clung onto Jane’s hand, Lisbon was glad for many reasons. For one, she had always hoped and believed that he could be healed enough to be able to love again. She had always known there was a decent human being left in him, and that one day, he would realize that once again too. And now, she knew she had been right. The reason he had come out to Hawaii at all was in the vain hope that it could be a catalyst for something between them.  
  
She spent the rest of the vacation exclusively in his company. No more did she want – or need – time and space from him in the mornings. Instead, Lisbon wanted to explore every aspect of their newly developed relationship and indulge in the ‘honeymoon period’ before they came crashing back down to earth. She knew that things would inevitably be different once they got back to Sacramento, but she hoped they wouldn’t be too different. Jane had already vowed he would fight tooth and nail for her. If the brass disapproved of their relationship, she knew he would persuade them to see sense. And if anyone could do that, it was Jane. Besides, she had been the senior agent who apprehended the notorious Red John, and it was far safer to have him within the CBI walls than outside it. They were valuable assets they couldn’t afford to lose over something as mundane as a technicality in the rulebook.  
  
The last few days flew by, and in a way, Lisbon was dreading going home. She did miss work and her team, but at the same time, she wished she could have just a little bit longer alone with Jane. The inevitable difficulties she would have to endure with her boss didn’t make the thought any easier, either. However, the sooner it was over and done with, the better. Then, they could get on with adjusting to having one another in their lives on a more intimate basis than previously. As they left the hotel for the final time, Jane pressed his lips against hers gently and whispered a quiet ‘I love you’ for the first time.  
  
As far as she was concerned, that was evidence enough that they were going to be okay.


End file.
